Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.
Chapter 3: Her Heart and His Eyes
Sango glanced over at her hanyou companion from the corner of her eye. She was so… confused. Or perhaps the better word is surprised. She didn't expect Inuyasha to come to her rescue earlier; she thought that she would have to tell the truth to Miroku.
The truth is… she didn't really expect to marry Miroku. After the hype of the proposal died down, Sango realized that she was trapped… Trapped in an engagement she didn't really want! Of course, she always figured that the monk would have cheated or found some way to get out of the arrangement, but, much to her surprise, he kept his word…
Sango looked over at Inuyasha once again, carefully inspecting every aspect of his face for some answer. She looked at his cute dog ears, which were twitching at the moment. Sango glanced at the hanyou's silver mane that was lightly flowing in the breeze. But then… then there were his eyes…
Those golden orbs… so soul-piercing, especially when he was angry… yet they were like molten gold when he was showing some sort of affection. But Sango wouldn't know, for he had never looked at her like that… only Kagome or Kikyo… but she wanted him to look at her like that… for him to love her, hold her,… kiss her.
Sango's head snapped forward. 'What am I thinking? Everyone knows that Inuyasha and Kagome belong together! If not them, then he and Kikyo!'
If only. A voice said in the back of Sango's mind.
'What is that supposed to mean?'
Just that it's a fair advantage now.
'What?'
Think about it… One down, one to go, right? The tone of the voice reeked with the evidence of a smirk.
'NO! That's terrible! Kikyo was kind deep-down, and there's no reason to defile her memory… Besides… I have no feelings toward Inuyasha what-so-ever.' Sango was disgusted with her own mind… Thinking up such terrible thoughts!
Sango, Sango, Sango… Why do you lie and torture yourself?
'…' Sango couldn't answer "I don't do such things" to that question… for she does.
The demon slayer had always felt a tinge of sour emotion when she knew that Inuyasha was off with Kagome or Kikyo, more so with Kagome… but she just kept telling herself that it was because Miroku only gave her negative attention (groping her butt and such).
Now that Kikyo was… gone from this world, it was fair game, wasn't it? It's not like Inuyasha was completely over Kikyo, but he learned to finally let go…
Sango couldn't help but feel bad for Inuyasha… he had lost his first love… Twice!
'That's right…. His first love… and probably his last...' Sango knew Inuyasha will never forget Kikyo… 'So there's no room for anyone else in his life… Especially not for someone like me…' The demon slayer sighed.
She looked in at Inuyasha again, letting her mind think freely, and thought of what he has said to her in the past…
"No matter how much he's changed… he's still your brother, isn't he?"
'…. Kohaku…' Sango thought as that passed through her mind. 'Inuyasha helped and supported me during that time… that dark and confusing time, even though I didn't deserve his sympathy.'
"That's why you mustn't kill Kohaku. We'll get him back alive! Got it?"
'Thank you… for that promise… Inuyasha.' Sango remembered how close she was to killing her brother and herself…
"You're not that lucky…"
'Hmph! Idiot… That wasn't funny…' The joke Inuyasha tried to make after that night on the sake mountain still wasn't funny to Sango. 'I still can't remember what really happened that night…' Sango's hand came up to rub her chin as she tried to recall any images from that event.
"… What about you?"
'Sigh… I was worried, too, Inuyasha… More than you could know…' Sango didn't have the guts to tell that to Inuyasha's face, but she could have sworn that she saw that gentle look in his eye… when they were like molten gold…
"Can you really trust him? It's Miroku after all… "Shame on a man who does not accept a woman's proposition", right?"
'…' There wasn't really anything Sango had to say about that…
"…Give her some time… Not everyone knows what they want…"
'Did that have some sort of secret meaning, Inuyasha?' Sango wondered.
"Hey, Sango? ….…Do you think… everything will change? Now that Naraku's dead?"
'….. I really hope not, Inuyasha… I really do.'
Sango's thoughts stopped for a moment. 'But, Inuyasha… You have changed… That kind of question was so unlike you. It was such a thoughtful and careful question. Maybe… Maybe you've changed your mind about me, too.' She could feel the blood rushing to color her face.
Then, Sango felt a sudden shock of pain and fell to the ground.
"S-Sango! Are you okay?" Inuyasha called in a worried tone as he kneeled down next to his comrade.
"Y-yeah… I think I'm okay…" Sango started pushing herself off the ground, but her arms gave out underneath her body. "Ugh…" she muttered face down in the dirt.
"Okay. That's it. You are so not okay." Inuyasha picked Sango up bridal style, but had some hesitation. "You're in no condition to walk, and I don't think you going to be able to stand a piggy-back ride, so…"
"I-I-Inuyasha, stop! I don't need to be carried!" Sango fought against the hanyou's strong, and unfortunately warm and comforting arms, but she wasn't making any progress.
"Stop fidgeting! You're…. Oh, great… you opened up some old wounds!" Inuyasha sighed. 'This can't be happening…'
Inuyasha walked over to a small stream, which was parallel to the dirt road, and a nearby tree.
"Umm…. Sango?" Inuyasha sat her down against the tree. "I'm…. I'm going to have to bandage you up. Otherwise, you'll lose a lot of blood and pass out… So… yeah…" Inuyasha sounded odd… like he was nervous and worried at the same time.
"Umm… Okay…?" Sango didn't really know what to say. There was an awkward silence among the pair.
"Sango?"
"Yes, Inuyasha?"
"You know that I can't treat your wounds while your slayer outfit is on, right?"
"…oh…" Both parties blushed profusely.
"Umm… I'll be over at the stream… Let me know when you're ready… Oh and here." Inuyasha tossed his haori to the demon slayer.
"What's this for?" Sango was completely lost.
"Well, do you have your other clothes with you?"
"Uh, no."
"So use that to cover up if you need to. Call me when you're ready." With that, Inuyasha walked to the small river. He reached under his undershirt folds to retrieve a small bundle.
'I guess it's a good thing that Kagome makes me carry around some spare bandages, just in case.' Inuyasha dipped a few small strips into the river. 'Kagome says that it's best to clean the wounds beforehand…' Inuyasha hoped he was doing this right…
"In-Inuyasha! I'm ready!" Inuyasha's ears twitched and he made his way over to the tree that he left Sango at. He was hoping that the wounds weren't in… troublesome spots. Sango was only half-undressed; she kept her bottom half of the suit on, but used Inuyasha's red haori to cover her breasts.
Without any remarks, Inuyasha sat behind Sango, who was facing the tree. As he dressed her wounds, Inuyasha started to notice exactly how fresh they were. (A/N: Keep in mind that most of the wounds are on Sango's back and arms.)
"So, Sango… Why didn't you tell me about these earlier? You received a lot of damage from this last battle… too much, if you ask me…" Inuyasha mumbled the last part, but Sango could hear him perfectly.
"I didn't think they were that bad. Not to mention, everything went by so fast. We're fighting against Naraku, and the next thing I know is that you're walking away and I'm running to catch up with you… I guess… I guess I was caught up in the moment…" Sango lied. The demon slayer was quite aware of all her cuts, but she didn't want the group that she was weak, especially not Inuyasha. So, she didn't acknowledge her injuries.
"Keh. You're a terrible liar," Inuyasha smirked. "I saw you take some pretty hard hits, and how you were subconsciously suppressing you more painful injuries." Inuyasha made a point when he put a cold, wet bandage to a deep cut she had on her lower back. Sango gasped in surprise; she wasn't focusing on the cold bandage until now. (A/N: Inuyasha was distracting her.) Kagome always had warm bandages for cleaning wounds.
"You know, Sango… everyone gets hurt. I mean, take me for example: I always find a way to get badly injured in almost all of our battles. Like my first battle with Kagome; it was with Yura of the Hair. I gave Kagome my haori for protection, which left me prone to blades. Yura cut up my chest pretty bad… Almost cut right through it." Sango turned around with wide eyes.
"Are you serious?" Inuyasha couldn't help but smirk. Having Sango worry about him was both entertaining and ego-boosting.
"Don't worry. It all healed after a few days. Hey, remember when you stabbed me right through my arm? That was pretty sneaky of you, attacking me right after I saved you from your own poison," Inuyasha chuckled, but he saw Sango stiffen at that memory. That definitely wasn't ego-boosting… not at the least.
"Hey… it's okay. You didn't hurt me that bad. In fact, you could have done a lot more damage with your Hiraikotsu if it made contact. Don't worry about it... Really. I've had worse things happen to me, you know. Just… just don't let your warrior's pride get in the way of your health, okay." Sango nodded. Inuyasha gently rubbed her back in means of reassurance.
Sango made a sound similar to a purring kitten, which made Inuyasha smile. That smile, however, turned to a slight frown, due to determination, as the hanyou rubbed his palms up and down the demon slayer's back muscles.
"Hey, Sango. Now that we won't have to fight really powerful demons anymore, I was wondering if you…" Inuyasha had a bad feeling about where his mind was drifting.
'I… It wouldn't be a good idea to train with her... 'cause I'd be all sweaty, she'll be all sweaty… I'd taking my shirt off, and she'd…' Inuyasha's mind wandered off in that direction, but he was able to regain his thoughts. 'What the hell am I thinking? She's practically married!... she's… married…' Inuyasha's heart was filled with sadness and regret at that revelation.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Sango turned her head slightly in the hanyou's direction.
"Err… Nothing… Forget that I ever said anything."
"Uh… sure… Have you finished patching me up?" Sango's heart was racing from every movement Inuyasha made, every time his skin made contact with hers.
"Just about… Hold on." He took a minute to sniff the air. "You have another cut, don't you?" Inuyasha knew she would hide at least one cut, due to her pride.
"Umm… No… " 'Crap. He can smell the blood.' Sango tried her best to hide her increasing pain. Inuyasha didn't fall for it. After all, he said earlier that Sango was "a terrible liar".
"Sure. Look… I'll give you a few minutes to change. When I come back, you better let me take care of that last one. Got it?" Sango nodded. "Okay. Be back soon." Inuyasha jumped off into the forest.
"Hmm… Wonder what he's up to… oh well. Better get ready for the next round of Inuyasha playing 'Doctor'…" Sango said to herself as she put her top back on. She removed her bottoms, but was sure to cover up right when Inuyasha came into view.
"Oh, good. You did what I asked of you," Inuyasha commented as he lightly dropped a bundle of something on the ground. "Err… where is your cut anyway?" He turned tomato-red when he noticed her bare thighs and whatnot. It was the most skin he had seen of Sango… well, other than when Miroku tricked him into peeking on the girls while they were in the hot spring.
'That's the last time I listen to Miroku…' Inuyasha thought, reminiscing when they were caught. 'Ha! He'd be having a nosebleed right now if he were here.' Inuyasha had to stifle a chuckle.
"Um… it's somewhere on my upper leg… and it seems pretty deep." Sango gasped as a tinge of pain coursed through her body. Inuyasha noticed the small pool of blood underneath Sango, which was growing rather quickly.
"Hmm…" Inuyasha walked over to the slayer, and kneeled down by her. 'It's her right leg… And it's really deep…' Inuyasha let a worried expression creep onto his face, and it worsened when he actually saw the gash.
"Geez, Sango… How did you manage to walk, run, or even fight with this injury? God…" Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the scent of blood. 'It's getting worse…'
"Inuyasha," Sango quietly moaned; it was so quiet that the hanyou had to strain to catch it. "…please…make the pain stop…" She looked up at Inuyasha, feeling so vulnerable.
He nodded. The dog-eared man rose up off the ground and turned his attention to the bundle he brought with him. He crouched down, rummaged through the items of the sack, and returned to Sango's side.
All Sango could spot was a few plants in the hanyou's claws. "Umm… Inuyasha?"
"It's a medicinal herb that acts as a pain killer, but it also helps by slowing blood flow." Inuyasha started applying the herb to the cut. "But, in the process, it will make you a little groggy and sleepy. So, I'm going to carry you the rest of the way…" Inuyasha held his clawed hand up before Sango could protest. "I. Am. Get over it."
Sango gave up and pouted as Inuyasha finished up. Sango had to glance at his progress to make sure that he was even doing anything.
'God… I never knew he could be so… so… so gentle… Who knew that Inuyasha could be so kind… Heh. Not everyone would agree that "Inuyasha", "gentle", and "kind" all belong in the same sentence...' Sango thought as she watched bandage after bandage go around her leg injury.
Sango wasn't one of those people. Deep down, she knew that Inuyasha had a sensitive being, and he did let it show sometimes. He must have figured that if he showed it too much, people wouldn't take him seriously… Typical.
But…
At the same time, it's understandable for him. Humans and demons alike already don't take him seriously, since he's a half-demon.
'Inuyasha doesn't even really take himself seriously! His main goal is to change himself into a full-fledged demon using the Sacred Jewel, after all... I wonder what it's like… being in your own class… Neither in the demon world or the human world… Alone.' Sango's demeanor changed to pain and sorrow; she wished she could take away Inuyasha's pain…
"All right. Looks like you're good to go," Inuyasha chimed in on the demon slayer's thoughts. "Go ahead and get dressed. We need to hurry and get to Kaede's; it isn't good when a torn-up and bleeding human mixes with a demon-filled night."
"Whatever you say," Sango responded. She was still flustered about what just occurred… the medical attention, that is.
The demon slayer was adjusting her bottoms when her gaze wandered to the bundle that Inuyasha brought back. "Hey, Inuyasha. What's in there?" Sango pointed to the said object.
"Keh. Kinda snoopy, aren't we?" Inuyasha crossed his arms.
Sango sighed. 'That's more like the Inuyasha I know…'
The hanyou walked over to the bag and retrieved a round-like object. "Here," he said as he threw the sphere-like thing at Sango. Without even looking, the demon slayer caught the object with ease.
"An… apple?" Sango questioned, switching her focus to Inuyasha, who was leaning against a large rock, his eyes closed.
"Keh. What did you expect? A bomb? Or maybe a squirrel?"
"Well, no but… what for?"
"To eat, stupid! You are hungry, right?" Annoyance obvious in his voice.
"Well… yeah." Sango looked down at her dinner, feeling like a complete and utter idiot, especially after Inuyasha used that tone towards her. She, ignoring Inuyasha's soft cursing, took a few bites of her apple. Deciding that it was decent, Sango finished it rather quickly.
Before she could even thank the hanyou for the small meal, Sango lost consciousness. Her apple core fell to the ground with a light thump, grabbing Inuyasha's attention.
His eyes glanced at the bare apple but came to rest on the demon slayer. He began to rise to his feet, not worried about Sango's little 'nap' at all.
"That herb worked faster than I thought it would…" Inuyasha thought out loud. He kneeled next to the sleeping Sango, raised her wrist and let it drop. "And a lot more effective than I imagined…"
Inuyasha strapped on Sango's large boomerang, having no problem with the weight at all. He then tied the ends of the bundle (which held the food and herbs) in a knot and hung that on the end of the Hiraikotsu. Letting his eyes run up and down the beautiful demon slayer's body, he lifted her up bridal style, yet again. He was pleased, to say the least, that Sango didn't struggle this time around. Inuyasha let Sango use his haori as a blanket, not wanting her to catch a cold along with her current condition.
Gazing down at the beauty in his arms, Inuyasha smiled.
"Sleep well, my dear Sango. Let this night be a night of deep slumber for you. Good night… my love." And if Sango could see Inuyasha now, one of her deepest wishing would come true. His eyes, a river of golden lava, contained all the love and passion Inuyasha could find within his heart and mind. Those eyes were meant for Sango, and Sango alone.
So, as the sun fell and the moon began to rise, Inuyasha was on his way back to Kaede's village. And he was content, for he knew that the girl of his dreams was in his arms. That she was safe.
Wolf of Wind: Okay, so that took way longer than I expected… I wanted to do a chapter where it was of Sango's point of view. I might switch between Inuyasha's and Sango's point of view every now and then.
This is my first InuSan fanfic, so please bear with me. I've got some good ideas for the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned. Please review, if you can. Thanks!